Ali Erbaş addresses the claim that dominated the agenda: Were Turkish citizens reported to Saudi Arabia?

Diyanet President Ali Erbaş answered questions from journalists at the holiday greeting event held at the Diyanet Hajj Administration Center.

When asked by a journalist about "illegal pilgrim" videos on social media and the claim that "the Diyanet is reporting Turkish citizens to Saudi Arabian authorities in Mecca," Erbaş said that last year, there were also major problems regarding "unauthorized" Hajj pilgrimages performed with visas other than Hajj visas.

Stating that these problems were experienced not only by Turkey but also by other countries, Erbaş said, "Following the problems experienced last year, Saudi Arabia sent letters to various countries immediately after the 2023 Hajj, stating that it had banned the presence of anyone without a Hajj visa in Mecca during the period covering 15 days before and 15 days after the Hajj."

Expressing that they have shared the request received via official letter from Saudi Arabia with the public multiple times, Erbaş said:

"Despite sharing this repeatedly, the desired result was still not achieved. There were some unauthorized individuals, and perhaps companies, who brought our citizens here without obtaining a Hajj visa, using commercial or tourist visas. Our job was only to announce it; we have no authority beyond that. We do not have the authority to tell anyone who has obtained a commercial or tourist visa that 'You cannot go.' Those who came experienced great difficulties, and our citizens were subjected to great distress. As for the claims that 'the Diyanet reported those who went to Mecca without a Hajj visa,' to put it simply, this is completely false and untrue. We have not reported even a single one of our citizens to anyone in Mecca."

"SOME GROUPS DO AS THEY PLEASE"

Stating that those who put forward the claim in question also shared a video on social media featuring a speech by an official from the Presidency of Religious Affairs, Erbaş continued:

"That video recording was from a training seminar we held for our team leaders and other staff at the Presidency of Religious Affairs Conference Hall two months before the Hajj, regarding complaints about certain issues experienced in 2023. It is about the people and unauthorized companies that unfairly caused these problems for our citizens in 2023. Turning this into 'reporting our citizens in Mecca to Saudi Arabian authorities' is a complete distortion, a very major distortion. None of our colleagues here have reported a single one of our citizens to Saudi Arabian authorities."

Pointing out that some groups ignore this despite them issuing press statements, Erbaş said, "Humanity requires this, but unfortunately, such a thing does not exist. Some groups still do as they please."